Page 90 of Vain
“Okay.” She says with a wobbly smile.
I tug her into my lap and tuck her hair behind her ears. “I know this feels shitty right now but it will blow over. Anyone with half a brain cell can see she’s a manipulative bitch. I mean, how bad can it get?”
Turns out the answer is pretty fucking bad.
Chapter Thirty-Six
AIDEN
The backlash was immediate. We hid away that weekend, desperately needing to rest and recuperate after the crash, which meant ignoring social media and the news stations. I’m not sure if that ended up being a blessing or a curse. In one sense, it was good because it gave us a chance to reconnect with each other after a long few months. On the other hand, the reality of what was happening outside those gates was a major fucking shock to the system come Monday morning.
And it didn’t let up. Even now, six weeks after the stupid fucking interview, people were still scrambling to get comments and interviews from Tilly, and also me. Thanks to Hattie’s interview, people began digging. We didn’t hide what we were to each other and most struck gold right away. This fed into Hattie’s statement and half the world developed a conspiracy theory of our relationship. The other half thought it was a fairytale. Bodyguard falls for his charge. There’s danger around every corner and a villain waiting in the wings, ready to rip it all away. The whole fucking thing was exhausting. It was weighingon me like an albatross around my neck, but it was so much worse for Tilly. All the steps forward had been for nothing as she slowly pulled back into herself. I worried if I wasn’t there, holding her close, she’d try to simply fade away. I’ll admit, I was becoming increasingly worried about her. She called Zoe less and less, worried that if people found the connection to her, they’d ruin a life that had already been broken more than enough.
All that was before Cora decided to cash in on her five minutes of fame. That woman could give Hattie a run for her money. Of course, Cora’s story was fabricated to make her sound like the wronged party, making me sound like the victim of a manipulative actress, and casting Tilly as the true villain. I was already at the end of my rope with that woman. Now I was ready to hang her with it.
The guys back home, who have been seething on our behalf, had already begun dismantling Hattie’s life and were now set on ruining Cora’s, too. I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it.
There had been no sign of Daniel and no comment from him or his team. But every day since he was picked up for questioning, a delivery has arrived at the studio for Tilly. Everything from more dead flowers to chocolates crawling with maggots, each gift is accompanied by a single Post-it note bearing a smiley face.
After the first week, I stopped letting Tilly near them. I had them taken immediately to the police station. Not that they’d had any luck figuring out who was behind it all. I’m just glad today is the last day we have to come here and deal with this bullshit on the regular.
“That’s a wrap, everyone!” Tilly calls, snapping me out of my thoughts. The room bursts into cheers and rounds of applause.
I watch as Tilly ducks her head shyly before looking around the room for me. Once her eyes land on me, she smiles, lookingrelieved, which breaks my fucking heart. I know how much making this movie meant to her and I’m gutted it cost her like it did. There are only so many brave faces and fake smiles you can wear before people start to see through the costume.
As people swarm her to offer congratulations and thank yous, I make my way over, knowing she’ll be feeling overwhelmed. It reminds me of a conversation we had months ago about her fear that her stalker could be one of the very same people standing there fawning over her, touching her joyfully while stabbing her in the back.
I step up beside her and slide my arm around her shoulders, buffering her from the crowd. I feel her relax almost instantly.
“Can I say something?”
I tune into one of the supporting actors, Darren. He’s older than most of the rest of the cast, closer to Greyson’s age at a guess.
“Of course,” Tilly says softly as the room quiets down.
“I know it’s none of my business, but I’m old, so I can get away with it better than you young’uns.” A few people in the crowd chuckle, but most of us remain quiet and wait for him to finish. “I’ve worked on a lot of movies over the years. Some are wildly successful, and some I’d rather erase from people’s memories, if I’m honest. I will say that working with you, Matilda, has been both an honor and a pleasure.” There’s more clapping and cheering for a moment as Tilly looks up at me with damp eyes.
“I know you have a lot of shit swirling around you right now, and in some regards, it’s the nature of the beast. I wish I had half the strength and integrity you showed, when I was your age. I know this movie is gonna be special. I could feel it from the start. But even if it flops, this will still be one of the movies I was most proud to be a part of. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Matilda.”
Tilly is sobbing now. I turn her into my arms and hold her as I look at Darren. “Thanks, man. I think she needed to hear that.”
“I get it. If I ever see her fucking mother, I’ll ring her damn neck. I never did like that woman.”
Tilly laughs through her tears and turns her head to look at Darren. “You just made my day.”
He winks at her. “I live to please my lady.” He bows before disappearing into the crowd.
Tilly looks up at me, her cheeks damp with tears. I reach up and wipe them away before kissing her. “Congratulations, baby. You did it.”
“God, don’t start me off again.”
I grin, then hold her in my arms as more people come over to talk. I have to say, for the most part, everyone on set has backed Tilly one hundred percent. That’s what made the difference in the long run. They didn’t let Tilly down, and she refused to let them down either.
By the time we’ve all had celebratory drinks and finger foods and said goodbye to everyone, it’s almost 8 pm.
“You tired?” I ask as I walk her out with my arm around her shoulder. I eye the couple of guards who took over for Cox Security after the studio severed their contract with them. They nod politely to me as we pass. Once we get to the truck, I open the door for Tilly to get in before walking around to the driver’s side.
She looks at me when I get in. “Thank you.”
